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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
Empress Hail Bristol and her allies must find a way to recover the Indranan throne from the man who has murdered her entire immediate family. Her twenty years as a gunrunner and mercenary will give her a different set of strengths and abilities to not only kill Wilson, the mastermind behind the revolt, but fight the Saxons as things heat up.
I devoured the first two books in this trilogy when I received them in a giveaway a year or so ago. I've been anxiously awaiting this installment. While I love a good space opera as well as hard science fiction, what really attracts me here is Hail's self-acknowledged weaknesses and her self-doubt about her suitability to be the Empress. Yet she persists in fighting for her friends, her adopted family, and her people.
The body count of loved characters is high, as is usual in war. But there is also nobility and honor and courage. And love under difficult circumstances. Still, be prepared. Some of those who were among the fallen broke my heart. 4.5 out of 5, only due to some of those who gave their lives.
I devoured the first two books in this trilogy when I received them in a giveaway a year or so ago. I've been anxiously awaiting this installment. While I love a good space opera as well as hard science fiction, what really attracts me here is Hail's self-acknowledged weaknesses and her self-doubt about her suitability to be the Empress. Yet she persists in fighting for her friends, her adopted family, and her people.
The body count of loved characters is high, as is usual in war. But there is also nobility and honor and courage. And love under difficult circumstances. Still, be prepared. Some of those who were among the fallen broke my heart. 4.5 out of 5, only due to some of those who gave their lives.
It had a pretty good ending all things considered.
Though I did guess who the Wilson guy before the reveal but I think they had to put that foreshadowing in somewhere otherwise I'd be here being like, and the bad guy was some random person.
So yeah, not bad. It was a quick, fun read.
Though I did guess who the Wilson guy before the reveal but I think they had to put that foreshadowing in somewhere otherwise I'd be here being like, and the bad guy was some random person.
So yeah, not bad. It was a quick, fun read.
Third in the Indranan War trilogy, still plot-heavy but with strong, likable characters. It hurts when the good guys suffer. I was disappointed for the motive behind much of the three books’ worth of suffering, however. Unrequited love from 40 years ago? Didn’t seem worthy of all that had gone before.
That said, this is the second time in three years I’ve read the trilogy, and I returned because I enjoyed them so much the first time around. Compelling and suspenseful, hard to put down even when it’s impossibly late at night and I should be sleeping. Looking forward to the next trilogy, the Farian War, with the same main character and, I hope, many of her friends.
That said, this is the second time in three years I’ve read the trilogy, and I returned because I enjoyed them so much the first time around. Compelling and suspenseful, hard to put down even when it’s impossibly late at night and I should be sleeping. Looking forward to the next trilogy, the Farian War, with the same main character and, I hope, many of her friends.
This is the final installment in the Indranan War trilogy. We finally get to see Hail uncover the full plot against her empire and kick some ass. The book is pretty fast paced, considering much of it is meetings and strategy. It's a fun read.
The flip of prejudices against the opposite gender (in-world males yearning for equality verses our current world's gender equality for women - especially with the #MeToo movement in the lights of the abuses that have taken for way too long.
Hail has a lot of Princess Leia and Chrisjen Avasarala of The Expanse...with A little bit of Bobbie Draper. Maybe a little bit of Devi from Rachel Bach's Paradox Trilogy series (without the gear).
I love Hail's relationship with her heir, Alice. Taz (possible Prince Consort) and Alice possible future Empress.
It is definitely lonely at the top. Hail no longer has her lover (lost at the beginning of book one). Emory is her closest friend (her head bodyguard). Everyone wants her time, but she is spread very thin (like Bilbo at the beginning of LotR).
The stomping of her foot when hearing something good...reminds me of Claus Ashford and Camina Drummer from The Expanse.
A little bit of Zero Dark Thirty, too.
The end reminded me of our President Washington...highly noble end.
Hail has a lot of Princess Leia and Chrisjen Avasarala of The Expanse...with A little bit of Bobbie Draper. Maybe a little bit of Devi from Rachel Bach's Paradox Trilogy series (without the gear).
I love Hail's relationship with her heir, Alice. Taz (possible Prince Consort) and Alice possible future Empress.
It is definitely lonely at the top. Hail no longer has her lover (lost at the beginning of book one). Emory is her closest friend (her head bodyguard). Everyone wants her time, but she is spread very thin (like Bilbo at the beginning of LotR).
The stomping of her foot when hearing something good...reminds me of Claus Ashford and Camina Drummer from The Expanse.
A little bit of Zero Dark Thirty, too.
The end reminded me of our President Washington...highly noble end.
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
I really liked this series! Each book is so fast-paced and action-packed. This trilogy was a hugely pleasant surprise.
What I Liked:
Each book matched the same energy that drew me into the original book ([b:Behind the Throne|37561674|Behind the Throne (The Indranan War #1)|K.B. Wagers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1513611304l/37561674._SY75_.jpg|48129333]). I've mentioned the pacing and the action in the review of each book of this series. It's probably one of the best things about these books for me. Each continuing story in the trilogy flew by and complemented the intenseness of the overarching plot perfectly.
I have come to really like some of these characters. Hail, Emmory, and Zin are THE main squad and I have love this story even more because of them. It seems like our MC and besties did a lot of their character growth in last book because not a ton of focus was on that this round, but I was fine with that because it cleared the way to focus a little more on some more of the side characters as the plot started to wrap up. There are a LOT of names thrown at you in this series and it can be difficult to track. Personally, I liked it and it just made sense to me in the scale of the story. You need lots of people to run a government and fight a war.
Meh:
I will say that I did like both of the first two books in the series a little more. Beyond the Empire was still a really great ending and I really enjoyed it, but things just started to feel a little repetitive towards the end of the book. There was also a moment toward the end of this book, I was not very happy with. One very specific plot decision felt like an attempt at shock value that didn't hit the mark for me. It was unnecessary in my opinion, but to each their own. It didn't destroy my love of the series or anything dramatic, but it did disappoint me a little bit.
Wrap Up:
I already have the next series bought, so I am geared up to start that sometime soon. I really enjoyed this series, so I'm hoping the next books are also awesome!
What I Liked:
Each book matched the same energy that drew me into the original book ([b:Behind the Throne|37561674|Behind the Throne (The Indranan War #1)|K.B. Wagers|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1513611304l/37561674._SY75_.jpg|48129333]). I've mentioned the pacing and the action in the review of each book of this series. It's probably one of the best things about these books for me. Each continuing story in the trilogy flew by and complemented the intenseness of the overarching plot perfectly.
I have come to really like some of these characters. Hail, Emmory, and Zin are THE main squad and I have love this story even more because of them. It seems like our MC and besties did a lot of their character growth in last book because not a ton of focus was on that this round, but I was fine with that because it cleared the way to focus a little more on some more of the side characters as the plot started to wrap up. There are a LOT of names thrown at you in this series and it can be difficult to track. Personally, I liked it and it just made sense to me in the scale of the story. You need lots of people to run a government and fight a war.
Meh:
I will say that I did like both of the first two books in the series a little more. Beyond the Empire was still a really great ending and I really enjoyed it, but things just started to feel a little repetitive towards the end of the book. There was also a moment toward the end of this book, I was not very happy with. One very specific plot decision felt like an attempt at shock value that didn't hit the mark for me. It was unnecessary in my opinion, but to each their own. It didn't destroy my love of the series or anything dramatic, but it did disappoint me a little bit.
Wrap Up:
I already have the next series bought, so I am geared up to start that sometime soon. I really enjoyed this series, so I'm hoping the next books are also awesome!
The pacing felt very uneven to me, and it took me a while to get into it. Otherwise, a great finish to a unique and exciting series.